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Layered Cheesecake – A New Take On Layer Cake

Lime Layered Cheesecake is the perfect slice of creamy, tangy dessert heaven. This is a true layer cake made with cheesecake layers instead of regular cake layers.

As I’ve confessed before, despite the fact that I ran a successful custom cake business for 10 years, and I know exactly how to create the best cake recipes, cake is probably my least favorite dessert.

It’s not that I don’t think cake tastes good, I do, especially a good scratch-baked cake. I enjoy a slice of Bundt or pound cake with a cup of tea. But I will always choose a pie, tart, custard or cheesecake before a slice of layer cake.

Over the decade that I baked cakes for a living, I went out of my way to include non-traditional fillings and layers to make my cakes less cake-like. I put a giant cookie at the bottom of my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake to make it better. Some of my other popular flavors had mousses, brownies, curds and cheesecake between the layers.

How I invented Layered Cheesecake:

One of my personal favorite flavors from my cake business was the “Key Lime Cake”. That cake was made with layers of vanilla cake, lime cheesecake, graham cracker crunch and lime curd. With this Lime Cheesecake recipe I’ve taken that concept one step further and eliminated the “cake” all together.

I love the contrast of tangy lime curd with creamy cheesecake. By adding a graham cracker crust to one of the layers we also have a nice crunchy element as well.

Is Layered Cheesecake really tricky to make?

Nope! It’s surprisingly easy to make as long as you follow the directions. This is one of those times when an idea I had in my head actually works exactly as I imagined. Believe me, that’s not always the case.

Tips for making a Lime Layered Cheesecake:

Don’t skip the step where you line the pans with parchment rounds. This makes getting the frozen cheesecake layer out of the pan much, much easier.

The cheesecake should be baked all the way through to the center. Because these layers are much thinner than a regular cheesecake they won’t continue to bake after coming out of the oven.

You’ll need to work with the layers while they’re frozen so you can build the cake without smooshing the layers.

The lime curd is made with just enough gelatin so it will hold it’s shape when the cake is cut. When you pour soft lime curd between the frozen cheesecake layers it will set quite quickly and adhere to the cheesecake layers for a seamlessly layered cake.

Just when you thought cheesecake couldn’t get any better, it does.

If you want to make another cheesecake that breaks all the cheesecake rules check out this recipe for San Sebastian Cheesecake.

Watch the recipe video to see how-to put together this stunning Lime Layered Cheesecake:

If you love this recipe, please consider giving it 5 stars.

Layered Cheesecake

Yield: 12-14 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Freezing Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 7 hours20 minutes

Lime Layered Cheesecake is the perfect slice of creamy, tangy dessert heaven. This is a true layer cake made with cheesecake layers instead of regular cake layers.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

6 tablespoons (3 oz, 84g) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups (8 oz, 224g) graham cracker crumbs (about 13 crackers)

1/4 cup (2 oz, 56g) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cheesecake batter

2 cups (16oz, 450g) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (8 oz, 224g) granulated sugar

Finely grated zest from 1 large lime

3/4 cup (6 oz, 168g) sour cream, room temperature

3 large eggs plus 1 yolk, room temperature, whisked together

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 large lime)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Assembly

2 cups lime curd made with gelatin.

2 cups (1/2 recipe) Cream Cheese Frosting

Graham cracker crumbs for decoration

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 9" pans with parchment paper. Don't skip the parchment liner or it will be almost impossible to handle the cheesecake layers later.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and toss to combine. Dump the crumbs into ONE of the prepared pans and pat down to an even layer.

Bake the crust about 10 minutes until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Make the Cheesecake batter

In a large mixer bowl or stand mixer bowl, use the beater attachment to cream the cream cheese until soft and smooth. You're not trying to add air, just soften the cream cheese. Keep the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bowl and the beater.

Add the granulated sugar and lime zest, mix until no lumps of cream cheese remain. Scrape the bowl and paddle attachment again. Add the sour cream, scrape the bowl and paddle attachment again.

With the mixer running on low speed add the eggs/yolk in 2 batches, Scrape the bowl and paddle attachment between batches. Add the vanilla and lime juice and mix until combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Set the pans into slightly larger pans and pour an inch of warm water into the larger pan.

Bake until the center of the cheesecake is set (see note), about 15 minutes for the layer with no crust and about 20-25 minutes for the layer with the crust.

Allow the layers to cool to room temperature then place the pans in the freezer several hours or overnight. The layers should be frozen solid.

To remove the cheesecakes from the pans dip the bottom of the pan in a bowl of very hot water, run a knife or spatula around the sides of the cake and flip it out onto a flat plate. Alternately, you can flip the pan over and run a propane torch across the bottom of the pan. Remove the parchment round from the bottom and flip right side up. If not assembling the cake immediately, wrap the cheesecake layers and freeze until ready to use.

Assemble the Cake

Warm the curd in the microwave and set it aside until it is room temperature but still soft and pourable.

Place the frozen cheesecake layer with the graham cracker crust onto a serving platter, crust side down. Fill a piping bag with cream cheese frosting. Pipe a 1 inch "dam" of cream cheese frosting around the edge of the cheesecake layer.

Pour 1 1/4 cups of lime curd onto the cake and spread evenly. The cream cheese "dam" will hold the curd in place until it sets.

Set the other frozen cheesecake layer onto the curd filling. Ice the sides of the cake with cream cheese frosting. Press graham cracker crumbs onto the sides.

Pipe a border around the top edge of the cake. Pour the remaining lime curd onto the cake and spread to a smooth finish.

Refrigerate until the curd is set. Serve chilled.

Notes

The layers must be baked until they are set all the way to the center. Do not take them out of the oven while the middle is still soft.

The cheesecake layers can be made ahead, wrapped and frozen until ready to assemble. The lime curd can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months. The cream cheese frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring the frosting back to room temperature and re-whip before using.

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Passion Fruit Curd & Other Fruit Curds

Fruit curds can be made with passion fruit, mango, citrus, and just about any fruit. Easy to make and so versatile in the kitchen.

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder (optional)

1 1/4 cups ( 10oz, 280g) granulated sugar

3 eggs

6-8 passion fruits

juice from 1/2 lime

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons (3 oz, 84g) unsalted butter, cut into 1" chunks

Instructions

If you are using the gelatin, bloom in 2 tablespoons cold water in a medium size bowl. Set aside.

Slice the passion fruits in half. Scoop the pulp out of the shell and put into a blender or food processor. Process the pulp to separate the pulp and seeds. Strain the pulp in a fine mesh strainer. If a lot of pulp is still stuck to the seeds, process them again with a little bit of water. Strain again. You should have about a 1/2 cup of juice. Add water if needed to get to a 1/2 cup.

Thoroughly whisk together the sugar and eggs in a medium saucepan. Add the passion fruit juice, lime juice and salt.

Place the butter on top of the bloomed gelatin. Put a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and keep it near the stove.

Heat the egg/juice mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly. You must be sure to keep stirring across the entire bottom and corners of the pot so the custard does not have a chance to stick. The mixture will start out opaque with a fine white foam over the surface. As it heats up the curd will thicken, become more translucent and the foam will disappear.

Cook until the curd will coat the back of a wooden spoon and is just beginning to boil. Don't allow it to come to a full boil, just 1 or 2 bubbles and you're ready.

Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the sieve over the butter and (optional) gelatin.

Stir until the butter and gelatin are melted and thoroughly incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cool a bit before putting in the refrigerator.

Refrigerate until completely cooled. If using gelatin, allow it to sit 8 hours or overnight to gel.

Fruit Curd Variations:

1/2 cup juice from mango, guava, pineapple, etc.

Adjust sugar to taste for the type of juice used. You can always use the juice from 1/2 a lime or lemon to spark the flavor. I like to use lime with mango and lemon with guava.

Notes

This same recipe can be made with any fruit juice. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to how sweet the fruit is.

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Hi! I love the idea of this layered cheesecake! And although I do love lime, my family has been wanting me to make something with lemon. Do you think lemon could be substituted for the lime? Would I need to use less amounts of lemon? Thank you!!

Hi Nadia. Yes, you can do the exact same recipe using lemon. Just follow the directions in the curd recipe for lemon curd. The only real difference is that I add a little more sugar to the lemon curd. Use lemon zest and juice in the cheesecake batter.

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Welcome!! Baking is an art and a science, but it’s not rocket science. Anyone can bake if they have a good recipe and the helping hand of a seasoned baker. I’m a pastry chef and lifelong baker. I enjoy sharing my well-tested recipes with bakers of every skill level. Read more….